The present invention relates to compounds of the formula 1, as described below, their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
The role of excitatory amino acids, such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid, as the predominant mediators of excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system has been well established. Watkins & Evans, Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 21, 165 (1981); Monaghan, Bridges, and Cotman, Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 29, 365 (1989); Watkins, Krogsgaard-Larsen, and Honore, Trans. Pharm. Sci., 11, 25 (1990). These amino acids function in synaptic transmission primarily through excitatory amino acid receptors. These amino acids also participate in a variety of other physiological processes such as motor control, respiration, cardiovascular regulation, sensory perception, and cognition.
Excitatory amino acid receptors are classified into two general types. Receptors that are directly coupled to the opening of cation channels in the cell membrane of the neurons are termed "ionotropic." This type of receptor has been subdivided into at least three subtypes, which are defined by the depolarizing actions of the selective agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA), and kainic acid (KA). The second general type is the G-protein or second messenger-linked "metabotropic" excitatory amino acid receptor. This second type, when activated by the agonists quisqualate, ibotenate, or trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid, leads to enhanced phosphoinosoitide hydrolysis in the postsynaptic cell. Both types of receptors appear not only to mediate normal synaptic transmission along excitatory pathways, but also participate in the modification of synaptic connection during development and changes in the efficiency of synaptic transmission throughout life. Schoepp, Bockaert, and Sladeczek. Trends in Pharmacol. Sci., 11, 508 (1990); McDonald and Johnson, Brain Research Reviews, 15, 41 (1990).
The excessive or inappropriate stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptors leads to neuronal cell damage or loss by way of a mechanism known as excitotoxicity. This process has been suggested to mediate neuronal degeneration in a variety of conditions. The medical consequences of such neuronal degeneration makes the abatement of these degenerative neurological processes an important therapeutic goal.
Excitatory amino acid excitotoxicity has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of neurological disorders. This excitotoxicity has been implicated in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic neurodegenerative conditions including stroke, cerebral ischemia, spinal cord trauma, head trauma, Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington's Chorea, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, AIDS-induced dementia, perinatal hypoxia, hypoxia (such as conditions caused by strangulation, surgery, smoke inhalation, asphyxiation, drowning, choking, electrocution or drug or alcohol overdose), cardiac arrest, hypoglycemic neuronal damage, ocular damage and retinopathy, idiopathic and drug-induced Parkinson's Disease and cerebral deficits subsequent to cardiac bypass surgery and grafting. Other neurological conditions that are caused by glutamate dysfunction require neuromodulation. These other neurological conditions include muscular spasms, migraine headaches, urinary incontinence, psychosis, addiction withdrawal (such as alcoholism and drug addiction including opiate, cocaine and nicotine addiction), opiate tolerance, anxiety, emesis, brain edema, chronic and acute pain, convulsions, retinal neuropathy, tinnitus and tardive dyskinesia. The use of a neuroprotective agent, such as an AMPA receptor antagonist, is believed to be useful in treating these disorders and/or reducing the amount of neurological damage associated with these disorders. The excitatory amino acid receptor (EAA) antagonists are also believed to be useful as analgesic agents.
The metabotropic glutamate receptors are a highly heterogeneous family of glutamate receptors that are linked to multiple second-messenger pathways. Generally, these receptors function to modulate the presynaptic release of glutamate, and the postsynaptic sensitivity of the neuronal cell to glutamate excitation. The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) have been pharmacologically divided into two subtypes. One group of receptors ("Class I receptors") is positively coupled to phospholipase C, which causes hydrolysis of cellular phosphoinositides (PI). This first group are termed PI-linked metabotropic glutamate receptors. The second group of receptors ("Class II receptors") is negatively coupled to adenyl cyclase, which prevents the forskolin-stimulated accumulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Schoepp and Conn, Trends Pharmacol. Sci., 14, 13 (1993). Receptors within this second group are termed cAMP-linked metabotropic glutamate receptors. Agonists of the cAMP-linked metabotropic glutamate receptors should be useful for the treatment of acute and chronic neurological conditions and psychiatric conditions.
Compounds have recently been discovered that effect metabotropic glutamate receptors, but have no effect on ionotropic glutamate receptors. (1S,3R)-1-Aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (1S,3R-ACPD) is an agonist of PI-linked and cAMP-linked metabotropic glutamate receptors. Schoepp, Johnson, True, and Monn., Eur. J. Pharmacol., 207, 351 (1991); Schoepp, Johnson, and Monn, J. Neurochem., 58, 1184 (1992). (2S,3S,4S)-2-(carboxycyclopropyl) glycine (L-CCG-1) was recently described as a selective cAMP-linked metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist: however, at higher concentrations, this compound has activity at PI-linked metabotropic receptors. Nakagawa, et al., Eur J. Pharmacol., 184, 205 (1990): Hayashi, et al., Br. J. Pharmacol., 197, 539 (1992): Schoepp et al., J. Neurochem., 63., 769-772 (1994).
European Patent Application EP 696577AI, which was published on Feb. 14, 1996, refers to certain synthetic amino acids that are described as being selective for the negatively coupled cAMP linked metabotropic glutamate receptors (i.e., Class II metabotropic glutamate receptors).
The compounds of formula I and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts are metabotropic glutamate receptor ligands that are selective for Class II metabotropic glutamate receptors.